Import Cars vs. Domestic Cars, Which One To Choose?

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Often‚ you hear people protesting the United States’ consumers buying import products. People feel that you should "buy American" to boost the American economy and keep our money circulating inside the nation. This really comes to a head when you look at the argument over whether people should buy import cars or domestic cars. Those who argue for domestic cars such as Ford or General Motor will tell you that they are helping Americans because the money they spend will eventually go to American workers building cars in factories instead of going overseas. They will say that they are helping Americans by buying American‚ and that will help the economy.

Well‚ it doesn’t quite work that way.

Let’s agree on some things and try to get some things straight. It’s generally agreed upon that Japanese and German cars tend to be better than American cars in quality. That is‚ a Ford may be cheaper than a Toyota‚ but in the long run the Toyota is much more reliable and won’t have engine problems (generally) and usually won’t need to be taken to the repair shop to be fixed until it’s very old. A Ford‚ on the other hand‚ might break down and cost you thousands upon thousands of dollars in repairs after just a year or two. So why should we choose the Ford over the Toyota? Why do people choose American cars over foreign cars?

Much of the reason for that is because foreign cars‚ especially cheaper Japanese cars‚ tend to be lighter (though much more fuel–efficient) than American cars‚ and Americans like to feel more secure in their bulkier‚ heavier‚ American vehicles. Although luxury German and Japanese cars tend to be heavier‚ they still aren’t as heavy as‚ say‚ the Hummer (nor do they use up nearly as much gas‚ which would save a lot of money in the modern day).

And there’s still yet another reason why you shouldn’t necessarily "buy American" brand cars all the time. In this day and age‚ import brands such as Nissan‚ Toyota‚ Honda‚ Mitsubishi‚ Mercedes–Benz‚ and BMW usually build most or all of their vehicles in America. This is easier for them because they will send in parts from their home countries and then construct the vehicle in America‚ so that they don’t have to worry about flying the completed cars across the seas to the United States. On the other hand‚ if you are in fact "buying American"‚ you might find that you aren’t buying American at all. Why is that? Well‚ American car companies such as Ford and General Motors outsource their work all over the globe‚ to Asia and Europe‚ and Mexico and other countries. They usually have the individual parts made in foreign countries‚ and the import them to construct the cars in America.

Do you see a parallel? In the end‚ it seems that both American and foreign car companies will build their parts outside of America and constructing them inside. So when you consider buying American‚ think again about who you’re helping‚ and make the choice based on the car’s quality–not on which country manufactures it.